Rev. Joseph M. Champlin

January 17, 2008 Reverend Joseph M. Champlin, 77, of Warners, died peacefully Thursday, January 17, 2008, at University Hospital after a long battle with cancer. Father Champlin was born May 11, 1930, in Hammondsport, NY, the son of Francis Mal-burn and Katherine Masson Champlin and the stepson of Charles Haynes. He was educated in his hometown public schools before graduating from Phillips Academy at Andover, MA. After studying at Yale and Notre Dame universities, he began his journey to the priesthood at seminaries in Rochester, NY. He was ordained February 2, 1956, and enjoyed a full and varied priestly ministry for over 50 years. Father Champlin's first assignment was the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception. He subsequently served as pastor at Holy Family in Fulton and St. Joseph's, Camillus, and returned to the Cathedral, where he retired after serving as rector from 1995 to 2005. At the time of his death, he was the sacramental priest at Our Lady of Good Counsel in Warners. In addition to his pastoral ministry, Father Champlin served as the associate director in the Liturgy Secretariat for the National Conference of Catholic Bishops in Washington, DC. He spent a year at North American College in Rome, Italy, and was the diocesan director of Parish Life and Worship. Ten years ago, Father Champlin founded the Guardian Angel Society, a non-profit effort to assist children from economically challenged homes with their education. The Society has raised close to $2 million and helped 150 youngsters reach their academic potential and have a better chance at life. A prolific writer, he had written 50 books with over 20 million copies of his publications in print. For many years, he authored a weekly column on liturgy and worship, appeared in a dozen videos and made numerous television appearances. He also frequented local radio with inspirational insights, always concluding with, "You may have tried everything else, why not try God?" (continued next column)